Rising cost of taking a puff

[moshquerade]

Up another $1.60 per pack, how can anyone afford to smoke?




"ALBANY -- Smoke 'em while you can afford 'em: After July 1, a pack of cigarettes will cost New Yorkers another $1.60, bringing the state's excise tax from $2.75 to $4.35."

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=943510&category=STATE#ixzz0raSmx0Hr

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They're even making the bold move to tax the cigs on Indian Reservations!

"Lawmakers on Monday passed the tax hike along with a controversial measure that will trigger tax collections on Indian reservations starting Sept. 1."

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=943510&category=STATE#ixzz0raStuA8Q



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[rivan]

Wow.

I've never smoked, but I've known people who've done 3 packs a day. Marlboros are about $4.50/pack here... that's just shy of $5k/year.

 

[Regs]

I quit over a year ago, thankfully, and even If I wanted to start again I couldn't afford it.

It's one of those outrageous luxury taxes I still for the life of me can't rationalize with. Do the rich only smoke now? It reminds me of the 17th century when only the wealthy class could enjoy sweets because they taxed the living shit out of sugar. Seems like we are coming back full circle. Instead of actually working or producing anything of real value, we will just starve the poor, and protect our wealth and standard of living by cutting off our right arms.

 

[Anubis]

we gonna see 10$ a pack now in NY

 

[swanysto]

Umm, I pay $9-10 a pack here in Chicago. I am more of a social smoker though.

 

[purbeast0]

i don't smoke but it's been way over that price here for a long time now.

edit: oh i see that is just the tax that is now $4.35 lol

 

[moshquerade]

we gonna see 10$ a pack now in NY

And that's for low end smokes?

 

[Gibsons]

Doesn't the mob make a lot of money bootlegging cigs? I suspect they're liking this.

 

[Anubis]

And that's for low end smokes?

i could be off but aren't name brands currently sitting around 7/pack. i don't smoke i just notice the prices on the shelfs if i happen to be in a gas station

back in 2001 when i worked at one name brands were 5.50 or so and there's been at leas 2 tax hikes since then

 

[moshquerade]

i could be off but aren't name brands currently sitting around 7/pack. i don't smoke i just notice the prices on the shelfs if i happen to be in a gas station

back in 2001 when i worked at one name brands were 5.50 or so and there's been at leas 2 tax hikes since then

I don't know the prices, but I read this will put a pack of cigs at around $9 a pack and I guessed they meant low end.

This had got to force more people to quit, and to put tax on the untaxed cigs the Reservations sell? Bold move Albany.

 

[rcpratt]

Good.

 

[xanis]

That's absurd. Thankfully I never picked up the habit, otherwise I'd be poor as shit right now.

 

[*kjm]

Doesn't the mob make a lot of money bootlegging cigs? I suspect they're liking this.

Yep prohibition round two..... kind of like how the war on drugs have made gangs thrive.

 

[MJinZ]

Wow.

I've never smoked, but I've known people who've done 3 packs a day. Marlboros are about $4.50/pack here... that's just shy of $5k/year.

Wow, cheap. About $8-9 here.

 

[LTC8K6]

Black market will just crank up more...

 

[moshquerade]

Black market will just crank up more...

Can cigs be bought legally online? I have no clue about this.

Anyone ever done that?

 

[epidemis]

Welcome to socialized healthcare guys! Next stop: unneccesary fats

 

[vi edit]

Can cigs be bought legally online? I have no clue about this.

Anyone ever done that?

That was a huge deal in NY a few years ago. They went back to some "Indian" smoke company online and demaned that they give up the records of people from NY who bought online so that they could try and recapture the sales tax for them.

Not sure what the resolution was or if that's still floating through the court system.

 

[vi edit]

Welcome to socialized healthcare guys! Next stop: unneccesary fats

New York (city of?) already banned trans fats in foods. They also have laws on the books about requiring calorie information to be provided on all menus and recently had lawmakers even asking that they ban salt in all prepared foods.

 

[SandEagle]

wow, those are borderline crack prices

 

[Wheezer]

The anti-smoking crowd is probably peeing their pants with excitement.

The problem is all that tax $$ goes away when people decide to quit because of the cost and then they start raising taxes on something the anti-smokers enjoy such as beer, wine and liquor.

 

[Phoenix86]

Good.

There's nothing good about it, at all.

 

[moshquerade]

The anti-smoking crowd is probably peeing their pants with excitement.

The problem is all that tax $$ goes away when people decide to quit because of the cost and then they start raising taxes on something the anti-smokers enjoy such as beer, wine and liquor.

I'm anti-smoking, and my pants aren't urine soaked, thank you very much.

I'd rather we could cut spending instead of increasing taxes.

 

[moshquerade]

There's nothing good about it, at all.

Sure there is, if it gets people to quit. There is nothing good about smoking.

 

[gimmewhitecastles]

I quit over a year ago, thankfully, and even If I wanted to start again I couldn't afford it.

It's one of those outrageous luxury taxes I still for the life of me can't rationalize with. Do the rich only smoke now? It reminds me of the 17th century when only the wealthy class could enjoy sweats because they taxed the living shit out of sugar. Seems like we are coming back full circle. Instead of actually working or producing anything of real value, we will just starve the poor, and protect our wealth and standard of living by cutting off our right arms.

D: